today's forecast. is a good morning. the ravens won last night. >> it was close. >> everybody should be smiling no matter what. it will be a nice quiet tuesday morning. you might want to take a light jacket with you. it is officially 58 at the airport with a light west wind. a mix of sunshine and clouds today. we expect a high temperature about the same as yesterday, low 80's. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. first we say good morning to sarah and see if there's anything fun happening on the roads. >> good morning. we do have a downed pole in woodbine. watch for lane closures that remain in effect. we're dealing with police activity at edmonson avenue on the inner loop. you may find a bit of a delay.

63 miles per hour and that continues up towards 795. everything looks good on the north side. when to get over towards 795, a pretty easy ride so far with just a few exceptions. northeast corner looks great. both loops checking out fine. we switch over to the west side at liberty or everything is moving smoothly at this time. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> polls open at 7:00 a.m. for today's primary election. >> one of the most hotly contested races is for county executive. voters will decide and kim dacey is in our newsroom with details. >> the race between joe bartenfelder and kevin is so

tight. both spent the night pressing for more votes. one campaign with a purple and yellow sign for drivers. he has served on the council for 16 years. so has his opponent, joe bartenfelder. he appeared last night to talk with voters. bartenfelder is a career former. kevin has endorsements from "the baltimore sun." >> i think that i have the rights experience and knowledge to move our county forward and stress a positive message of keeping our neighborhoods safe and are schools strong and have a modern government that delivers basic services. >> if you do not need to be a lawyer to be a ceo. we have been successful.

i have been in the legislature before this and on the appropriations committee. >> the winner will face a candidate who is running unopposed. the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. tonight. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> be sure to check out our website to view or print out a voters guide. you can also learn more about the voters. we have posted a link to find a polling place at wbaltv.com. >> a man in baltimore is expected to plead guilty to a drug conspiracy charge. todd duncan was indicted on racketeering charges. his attorney said they will request a 15 this year sentence as part of a plea deal. duncan was working for a nonprofit intended to help young

people steer clear of gangs and violence. police are searching for a suspect that fired several shots at rock haven avenue. somebody inside a car randomly shot through the area. one bullet hit near a headboard where a woman was sleeping. >> a man was killed after falling off his moped. he was struck by a car at route 126 in churchville. his identity has not been released. a tractor-trailer and a train collided in baltimore county. this was near north point boulevard. the accident ruptured the fuel tanker which caused a small amount of fuel to spill out. >> b.g.e. has been working to restore power in little italy.

power was shut off on sunday after a cable fire. >> it woke me up with a big thumping. i heard the sparking. i was sleeping right upstairs. i saw it happen from the beginning. after the smoking, i saw the fire start. >> b.g.e. is replacing a cable have all power restored this morning. >> congress is back in session. after returning, democrats and republicans started sparring over tax cuts and the economy. kate amara has details. >> good morning. the gop wants to expand the bush-era tax cut for everybody.

democrats have offered up a plan of their own. the fight over your tax bill is raging in washington. president obama trying to extend tax cuts and engaging in what he calls a wrestling match with republicans. >> we cannot give away $700 billion to people who do not need it. >> republicans claim the administration's plan would only stifle job creation. >> now they want to drive another nail into the coffin by expanding their businesses and creating jobs. >> democrats say they can get small businesses to start hiring if lawmakers moved a jobs bill ahead today. better access to credit and capital. >> small businesses are holding off on hiring. banks are holding on to their

capital. they are waiting for us to act. >> this measure could create up to 500,000 jobs. republicans call it costly and ineffective. live in washington, i am kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> with all the barbs being traded back and forth, what does the future look like for this bill? >> it looks like democrats have enough votes to get this thing passed. george voinovich said he would support it. it would create a government fund that would go to small community banks. democrats say banks could leverage that into loans for small businesses. >> kate amara, thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think congress should exclude the top 2% of americans from tax cuts?

e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. 59 degrees on tv hill. new footage is released of the deadly california gas line explosion. >> the blowout preventer is now in the hands of the fbi. >> this is a live look at traffic. this is 95 near the fort mchenry tunnel. tunnel.

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today. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. we'll give you the latest on the tropics. >> new footage of the deadly california gas line explosion is released. a security camera footage from a gas station about 5 40 yards away from the explosion. the incident killed at least four people. a crucial piece of the failed oil well is now in the hands of the fbi. the block facility has been taken to new orleans. the oil well exploded killing 11 workers and spilling more than 200 million gallons of water into the gulf of mexico. >> president obama heads to philadelphia for a back to school speech. he will encourage students to focus on their studies. he will also emphasize the

importance of an education in reaching your goals and dreams. >> 59 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. >> air fares are expected to rise. details straight ahead. >> there are some closures in effect because of a downed pole and wires in woodbine. we will check on the rest of we will check on the rest of the

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> a pleasant morning. >> it is nice outside.

there is a down poll in woodbine. route 94 is shutdown in the area of florence road. take old annapolis road and get back onto florence road. you cannot get around it. other than that, there is police activity -- you can get around that. not create any delays. 51 miles per hour on southbound 95. a bit sluggish there. other than that, the north side looks great. no problems to report on the j.f.x. or the harrisburg expressway. southbound 895, about a seven- minute ride. here's a quick live look to show you how empty is. a nice time to travel here at harford road. this is at the fort mchenry. we have some late-clearing construction and is now gone.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. >> it is a smooth commute on the rails with no delays on penn, camden, and brunswick lines so far. light rail is on time in glen bernie. metro so but looking good in both direction. a few construction diversions on the buses. there is a diversion at white and pratt street. -- at light street and pratt street. >> things are pretty quiet on this tuesday morning. a front will come through drive. temperatures in the upper 50's and low 60's. you might need a light jacket. 55 in taneytown. 61 degrees at rock hall. we have some high, thin clouds moving in from the west. the nearest rain is up in new

england across portions of vermont and new hampshire. we have some thunderstorms coming across the midwest. this will give us our next chance for rain but it will not be until thursday or friday. we will have a cold front come through today. it is in western pennsylvania. you will notice a wind shift as the front goes through. it will be cooler on wednesday. i will show the seven-day forecast in a second. this is the latest satellite imagery from hurricane igor. it is still a category four hurricane. sustained winds were 150 miles per hour yesterday. right now it is 135. we think it will turn north and miss puerto rico. it will come close to the east coast of the united states. it will be close enough to watch as we head into the weekend.

a mix of sunshine and clouds here at home. high temperature between 77 and 82. it will be nice and mild later this afternoon. turning cooler with temperatures dropping in the low 50's. a touch cooler on wednesday but still biased with a high near 77. the next chance for rain will be late thursday into friday morning. it should clear up and get warp with high temperatures near 80 on saturday and sunday. >> used-car prices are reportedly heading for record levels. people are holding on to the vehicles longer. there are fewer cars being sold. there were about 16 million fewer cars sold in 2008.

air travel has been up this year. we're paying 30% more for plane tickets then worked at this time last year. it is only going to get more expensive. >> it has done more expensive to fly this year. evenme of the fares, to florida, have gone up 50%. i think everybody would be happier if the planes were full and more people would fly. >> some people are finding even if you book your ticket well in advance, flights are still price than they were last year. this is not sitting well with frequent fliers. >> you want to see family for christmas so you pay the price. >> most airlines now charge for

checking in luggage. you can also face other fees, but if you want food or a blanket on board. this can add up to close to $100 or more. >> i think it is ridiculous. we were all set to go. >> there is a lot of money this family doesn't have to spend. others do not mind the extra fees. >> those who want the service will pay for it. those who do not will say no. >> some of the bargains are still around. you just have to buy at the right time and go to the right place at. >> volkswagen has a new leader for its north american division. jonathan browning will lead volkswagen of america.

new leadership comes at a time when volkswagen aims to triple sales. one test will be next month when they release a new sedan. the former chief left the company to run of volvo. >> the new consumer protection agency may soon be getting a boss. parents are spending thousands of dollars to spend their kids and calling it a bargain. jane king has the bloomberg business report. hmm. >> i know. it makes you scratch your head a little bit. sources say president obama may be about to appoint elizabeth warren to be the interim head of the new consumer financial protection bureau. she was very vocal and scolding banks will overseeing their bailout. appointed her make allow her to

bypass what could have been a nasty confirmation battle in the senate. toyota has a bunch of new hybrids rolling off the assembly line. they plan to introduce six gas- electric vehicles by 2012. how about a new $750 trenchcoat or a pair of $340 gucci infant boots? those are among the offerings. sales of luxury goods are expected to grow 10% this year. the share of children's attire may double. designer brands are are charging for adult brands and are selling to kids for a bargain. we're pretty quiet and we did gain yesterday after regulators

were trying to prevent another global financial meltdown. they gave banks more time to beef up their reserves. those buyouts lockheed martin has been offering to their executives. now they're putting to wonder million dollars to buy out about 600 employees at the president or vice president level. jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. researchers in spain are working on all kinds of textures and to try to spice up fruit. that tastes pear like mangos. the companies believe consumers bit tired of the same old fruit and looking for something different. they're changing the texture and the look and taste of different fruits.

tasters testing results and grade each fruit. >> 59 degrees on tv hill. coming up, your morning commute with traffic and weather together. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. do you think congress should exclude the top 2% of americans from tax cuts in order to pay for the other 98%?

>> yesterday on "oprah," a surprise audience received a big surprise. >> we are going to australia! >> that is right, she said australia. she is taking all of those people to australia.

john travolta will be their pilots. the final season will be bigger and better than ever. to see pictures, you can visit our website, wbaltv.com. click on entertainment. >> do you know john travolta was a pilot for qantas airlines? that is what they said yesterday on the show. >> how about that. 59 degrees on tv hill. >> the heated race for the state's attorney will be decided today. more on that coming up. >> things are pretty quiet right now, but we do have some rain in the forecast later in the week. >> pretty quiet on the area roads with one exception. roads with one exception. there is a downed my commute home to the eastern shore every night only takes an hour but that's more time than congress spends reading massive spending bills, it's crazy.

that's why i wrote a law that requires 72 hours to read every bill. i read the big bills and i said no. no to the $3 trillion budget, no to the bank bailout, and no to the health care bill. at home you would never pay a bill without reading it neither should congress. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message because i'm proud to be ranked one of the most independent members of congress.